The Little Sparrow
by Dance of the Crazed
Summary: Esmeralda saves herself and agrees to flee with Claude. But, her plans may not go as well as she planned. An alternate ending.
1. The Beginning of the End

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**A/N: Okay, I haven't wrote a fanfic in a while. This is an alternate version of the ending: If Esmeralda said yes to his begging that night before she actually gets hung. So, I start off in the finishing of his last plea to her. If you don't know what I'm talking about…it may be a bit difficult to follow at times, maybe. (Or I'm bad at explaining things) Enjoy!**

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"Please, girl!" The priest almost sounded as if he were whimpering, "Just one word of kindness!"

Esmeralda quickly glanced around to see if Gringoire may have come back, but there was no sign of him. Then, she looked over at the disgusting priest, whose eyes eagerly stared at her lips. She really had no desire to be with this creature. At the same time, she wanted to live. Or did she? She did not know; she was so distraught over everything. She might have wanted to die, but still she clung to some wasted hope for Phoebus, for life.

A thought crossed her mind. Maybe, if she could bare it, she could use this man to take her farther away from the city and eventually escape. To where, she had no idea. But, the sudden dream-like plan of hers let her cling onto life more. She decides she would want to live.

After hesitation she spoke, "You said you saved me?"

The fact that the gypsy spoke startled the priest. Even when he was begging for it and somewhat expecting it, her voice stirred him. A small smile twisted the corner of his lips and he crawled closer to her, leaving about two feet of space between them.

"Yes," he said with a hint of pride, "I saved you. And I can save you still."

Caught up with the hope to escape death and, later, this man she answered him carelessly, "I don't want to be hanged and I'm tired of this city." She paused, "Where will we go?"

Claude stared at her for the longest time, trying to comprehend her change of heart.

"Y-You will try to love me, then?" He asked in a quiet voice that shook excitedly.

She shrugged.

That was good enough for Claude. He fell on his side and laughed quietly. The display was odd, indeed, to the poor girl. Almost a few seconds after this, he sat up. As if risen from the dead, a new feeling of life filled the man's body. He stood and clasped the girl's wrists, pulling her up with him.

He noticed she backed away and looked in a different direction.

"Girl, please don't be afraid." Claude said softly, loosening his grip, "You have nothing to fear! I will take you far away from this place. To the other ends of this world, if you so wish it. Please, please! Do not pull away. I mean you no harm."

His eyes snapped up, pulled the girl's head to his chest as if to protect it, and scoped the area around them. He thought he had heard the soldiers' voices become louder, their foot steps ever closer.

"We must make haste!" The priest said, grabbing only one wrist now and ran for a nearby alley way.

He saw their haunting shadows on the wall opposite of them, holding their torches and laughing. He thought quickly. The priest pulled his hood up and outstretched the cloak, diving at the girl like a bat to an insect. Esmeralda would have screamed, but she was too stunned to even react. All was black. She was only aware of the cold, hard wall behind her and the hot, trembling priest pressing himself against her. They both stood in silence as the soldiers walked by. Neither one dare move until the voices were completely gone.

Frollo let out a deep sigh, dropping his cloak to reveal themselves to the nothingness of the night.

"I hope I didn't bump you're head on that cruel brick wall." the priest said, "I had to act fast, you understand. We needed to hide, so what better of a plan than to use this dark cloak."

Esmeralda only nodded. With doing so, Claude took hold of her wrist again and led her around the various alley ways. It was some time before the priest finally stopped at the corner of a building. He peered over and grinned at what he had found.

"A horse." the priest said to himself. Then, he turned to the girl, "Come! We have the devil's luck tonight!"

He rushed over to the dark horse, who stood quietly tied to a tree. Claude was trying to untie it as the gypsy walked slowly towards its face. The horse glanced at her with no fear or worry in its eyes. Once Esmeralda examined the animal, she began to pet it, talk to it.

"You're very handsome." she said tenderly. At hearing her speak so soothingly, Claude's eyes shot her way. Unfortunately for the priest, she wasn't speaking to him and he resumed untying the beast, gritting his teeth. The girl went on, "You're owner must be out of his mind to leave you here. And you're almost out of food and water! Poor thing! I'll feed you, don't worry."

The priest had freed the horse, but he couldn't tear his eyes away from the happy couple. He watched the gypsy caress its cheek with one hand and pat its head with the other. He watched as she would talk, she touched her nose to its, pull back, then giggle. The display before him made his heart want to melt at the pure innocence and bliss of it, but at the same time he was jealous that all of her kind words, gentle touches, and playful gestures went to a horse that would never understand the beautiful things she did.

"I have it free." Claude said, "Let's move."

He jumped on the horse's back and helped the gypsy girl up. Esmeralda sat in front while Claude was behind her, holding the reins. With a quick kick to the side, the horse galloped into the dark night.

The entire time on horse back was bothersome for both of them. Esmeralda for feeling cold and tired and angry that the priest's arms were around her. Frollo for having the gypsy leaning on him, trying to control himself. They rode for hours before they stopped to let the horse relax.

The priest slipped of the horse and reached out to help the girl down, but she refused. He stared at her; she stared back with her pouting lip. He noticed how her slender figure hugged herself and shivered.

"You are cold." Claude stated.

"Yes. I am." Esmeralda said flatly.

He removed his cloak, still having a long coat on, and offered it to the gypsy. She glared at it.

"Take it."

She repeatedly looked from the cloak to the priest. After some time she slid off the horse and took the offering, wrapping herself in it.

"I will let the horse rest for a bit, then we will be on our way again." The priest said as he watched the animal lay down. "Maybe, you should rest a bit, as well."

The gypsy cuddled up to the horse's neck. Frollo plopped down on the ground and leaned against the beast's stomach. He ignored the gypsy and her new friend to gaze up at the sky. The dark violet space made his mind wander and he smiled at the many tiny stars. As wonderful as they were, he couldn't forget the loveliest thing of the night to him: Esmeralda. He glanced back at her. She was lying on her side, softly humming a lullaby to the horse. Her little song seemed to tease Claude, making him fidget in his spot.

He broke the silence, "We will be leaving shortly. So, don't make him fall asleep on us."

The girl stopped humming and sat up.

"Aren't you going to rest?" Claude asked, trying to keep eye contact with the girl.

"I'll wait until we reach where ever it is you plan to go." She stated simply, keeping her eyes on him.

"This whole mess hasn't drained you of much energy?" He questioned with some difficulty.

"No."

He was the first to break eye contact to look up at the stars once more. He tried to let her be, but he still could feel her eyes on him. Failing to ignore this, he turned his face completely away from her, which gave him an odd, paranoid thought that she would slit his throat or flee at any moment. He turned back quickly to the gypsy, who was examining him quietly.

"Why do you stare at me?" He asked with a trembling voice.

She shrugged.

To see her pretty little shoulders move in that gesture caused him to fidget in his spot again. He gulped, "Can you stop?"

She didn't answer or stop.

Claude was quick to be agitated, "Girl, what do you want?"

"Where are we going to go?" She asked with an emotionless tone.

The priest hesitated, and then replied, "I've made a deal with a fellow to rent a place for a night or two. There is a small town some what close by, too. I was going to pick up some things within the time we spend in the hut and we would leave…"

"Leave to where?" The girl asked.

He had gotten from that redundant question of hers that she wanted a direct location. The man, really, didn't know exactly where to go. Just far away from Notre Dame. He held out his arms to the sky, "Anywhere."

The priest's single, hopeful word made her feel, for once in her life, safe being with him. But, then, she reminded herself of what he had done to Phoebus and shook the feeling.

She looked back at the man and watched as he let his arms fall to his sides. His head continued to look wishfully towards the moon. This was a perfect time to feed him words he would enjoy.

"I will go anywhere with you, sir."

The face of Claude Frollo distorted into a wide eyed, open mouthed, horror struck expression. At first, looking from the gypsy's point of view, it looked as if he had saw fire falling from the clouds. His head turned her way and she noticed his features become more insane looking. His grin was freighting, his eyes beamed, his entire face was that of a mad man.

She had just given her soul to the devil. Though, she wasn't aware of it.

He wanted so much to hold her now, but restrained every muscle from doing so. His face drooped to normal and he stood up.

"If we leave now, we can make it to our retreat by morning." Frollo said boastfully.

"Then we go!" the girl confirmed. She made a small clicking sound so the horse would stand. It did and as doing so the gypsy jumped onto its back. Frollo followed, placing himself behind the girl. They were off.

Once on the move again the priest leaned down to the gypsy's ear and whispered, "You won't regret this, I assure you!"

**--**

**A/N: Done with the first chapter. Yay! That was interesting. I really need to go back and finish up a RHPS fanfic I haven't touched in a year. Hm, so getting to the second chapter may be a short while…but it will be up! Please review! Thanks. **


	2. The Crippled Pair

A/N: Wow, thanks for all the reviews

**A/N: Wow, thanks for all the reviews! It means a lot to me. Anyway, this is the second chapter. Enjoy!**

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The trip was a long one. Neither spoke. Esmeralda was usually moving or stretching. Claude stayed almost completely still the whole way. She started to squirm less and less the closer they came to their destination.

Once the man tried to talk to her, but she made no sound.

Frollo noticed she had relaxed on him for some time now and wondered why she went from antsy to calm. He was very hesitant before making his next action. He dared to take one hand to unveil her face from her raven locks. She was asleep.

He smiled to himself. Cautiously, he wrapped an arm around her waist and held her. He only hoped that one day this gypsy would, willingly, let him give her an embrace so warm and loving that he would never want to let her go. But, that was wishful thinking. Now, he was content that he was even near her.

The closeness Frollo felt was short. He was already at the hut he told the girl about. He brushed his cheek on her soft hair, having one last natural high. With a hint of reluctance, he removed the arm that clung to her tiny waist and tapped her shoulder. She didn't move. He really didn't want to wake her, but he didn't know any other way to get her inside.

Then, the answer was so obvious. He would carry her. Claude slipped off from the beast while holding the girl in place so she didn't fall. With careful movements, he had her in his arms. To his surprise, the gypsy was lighter than expected.

A man showed up at the door and opened it for them.

"I'll be back in two days for my pay." The husky man barked. Claude just nodded and let him leave.

He examined the tiny space. It had single bed, a table, two chairs, a stove, and an empty wardrobe. It was too plain, even for his taste.

Frollo jumped as he heard the girl make a small noise. Suddenly, she grew heavy to him and he set her down on the bed before she had time to wake up completely. He watched her with softer eyes than before. Now, he felt that she would be his forever.

Claude slapped his forehead, "Oh! The horse!"

He forgot to tie it to something so it wouldn't run away. He dashed outside, unintentionally slamming the door behind him that woke up the gypsy.

She sat up and gazed around in alarm. She cursed herself for falling asleep while in the presence of the terrible priest. She looked down at his cloak, still covering her body, and removed it. Frustrated, she threw it on the end of the bed. That cloak, seeing it away from her, brought back horrible memories of him. This cloak stalked her, stabbed her Phoebus, and gave her dreaded nightmares the very few times she was able to sleep while imprisoned for his crime. She hated it, she hated the priest. The girl was so disgusted by it that she could spit on it, and almost did, until Claude came in.

Esmeralda's eyes locked on his, but Frollo broke this bond quickly to her body. The bottom of her chemise stopped high on her thighs and the collar of the garment hung tauntingly off her shoulder. At night, he could barely stand seeing her in that sorry excuse for clothing, but now, in the morning's light; she was as luminous as an angel. To rile him further was the pure innocence that her body language screamed. He froze on the spot.

After realizing what the priest was so fixated on, she crossed her arms over her chest in a poor attempt to cover herself. That movement broke whatever spell the gypsy seemed to cast upon him. He reached for his cloak and threw it over her legs.

They were both amazed by Claude's choice. He went to the door, back facing the girl.

"I'm going to the town close by. What is it that you eat?" He asked nervously.

"Anything is fine." She said eventually.

He nodded, "I won't be long. So, stay here and make yourself comfortable."

He glanced back at her and was out the door. The girl watched out the small window as he left on horseback, until he was out of sight.

She let herself flop down on the bed again. She was regretting the whole plan.

"Oh, Phoebus." She said hopelessly.

After staring at the ceiling for a long time, she put the cloak on and ran out the door.

She didn't know where or why she was running, but that's all she wanted to do. Run.

"Why…" she whimpered. Soon, all of her troubling thoughts flash in her mind. Phoebus not wanting to marry her, all the wasted hope that he would come and save her any time she was in need of it, and, most of all, when she shouted out his name when they where to hang her. He turned away from her and left with that cruel woman at his side. At that moment, she remembered, she would have loved to die.

Each step she took seemed to pain her the more she though about her knight.

Then, she remembered the hunchback. His tenderness was one of a kind. One she hoped Phoebus would give her. Though, she was uncomfortable around him, she was starting to miss him terribly.

Djali and Gringoire came to mind as well. Her dearest pet, which could make her smile just looking at her and the poet, her 'husband'. She even wished she could be with them more than whom she was with now.

She stopped because her feet were sore and dropped to her knees. 'Why run?' she thought. There was no point. She had no idea were she was. She looked back to the direction she came from. The hut was still within her sight.

That would be her home. She could almost laugh at the mistake she made.

Esmeralda rose gravely and walked back to her new prison. Once inside again, she threw herself onto the bed. The gypsy buried her face in the dark cloak. She wanted to cry, but she couldn't. She wanted to scream, but her throat felt so sore, as if she had already been screaming. So, the broken girl laid in silence until Frollo returned.

He entered carrying a large sack over his shoulders. The gypsy looked over at him and what he had brought in. Claude walked over to the bed, dropping the sack next to it. The girl sat up, watching the man reach into the bag and pull out an electric blue piece of clothing. Claude threw it at her feet. That wasn't the only one. He threw at her a dozen others, all in various bright colors. They were a bunch of skirts and scarves.

Esmeralda gazed at the priest with a confused look.

"They are for you. All for you." Frollo said as he reached for the last piece of clothing, a white tunic. He dropped that by her as well.

She examined the garments for a while. Frollo watched with a timid air, shrinking a bit.

Finally, he asked sheepishly, "D-Do you like them?"

She truly did love them, but she hated that it was he who gave them to her. "Yes, I do." She answered with a sigh.

Claude straightened his posture and almost smiled. "That's good."

He watched her a little longer before he turned for the door.

"You should get out of that rubbish you are wearing and try those on. I'll be outside and you can come out when you are finished." The priest said as he left.

Esmeralda's first thought was if the older man was as much of a pervert as she assumed. She glanced out of the window by the door to see where he was. The man was sitting, back to the house, on a stump beside the horse. He made no movement, so the girl reassured herself that she would be fine.

Meanwhile, Claude was eager to see what the gypsy would wear. Hundreds of combinations, all stunning to him, crossed his mind. He tapped his fingers impatiently as he waited. To Claude, she looked ravishing in anything. That was also a small concern of his. Once she exits the house to display a bright outfit to him, would he manage to hold back from taking her and covering every inch of her body with his fiery kisses. He laughed at himself.

"You fool of a man." He spoke under his breath.

Just then he heard the door creak open and he couldn't help but turn immediately. As if he had just seen a ghost, he turned pale but his eyes lit in a sudden flare. Esmeralda stood sporting off a spectacular violet skirt with a blue and light blue scarf around her little waist. For a top she wore the tunic and an indigo scarf, which wrapped loosely around her neck.

The girl noticed the difference in his face. "Are you alright?"

Frollo snapped back to consciousness, "I-I am fine."

He tried to tear his eyes away, but failed. "Oh, what a fine web you have weaved my dear black widow." He said so quietly, Esmeralda didn't hear him.

"Look!" The gypsy said pointing up. Claude's eyes followed her finger to the sky, "The sun will set soon."

"So, it seems." He sighed, still in an awe of the beauty before him.

She walked over to him and sat beside him on the stump. Not only was Claude dumbstruck by her appearance, but now to stupefy him greater was her careless choice to sit next to him. From head to toe, his frame shook horribly.

The gypsy felt him shack and couldn't stand it. (She could stand sitting by him, either, and regretted doing so.)

"I'll watch it from inside." The girl said, as she stood.

Without thinking, Claude quickly grasped her arm. Esmeralda let out a gasp that could have been a scream if it where any louder.

"Let go!" She snapped.

Claude seemed to not be in his present mind, but still had a powerful grip on her. His dazed look was terrifying. It was as if his corpse held her down to die with him. He wasn't moving and she couldn't tell what his problem was. He was starring at her, but it seemed that it wasn't exactly her he was so focused on.

"Sir," Her cracking voice whispered, "Please, let me go. You are hurting me."

He finally spoke, "I'm hurting you? Oh!"

He released her and slammed his palm onto his forehead as hard as he could. The girl just watched. She was too scared to move. Frollo saw it etched on her face and stood. The girl shrank back.

"No," He said, turning to the hut, "You may watch it outside. I will go…inside."

Once in, he cursed himself a thousand times. The thought crossed him to take her at that moment when he ceased her by the arm, but he didn't want her to hate him further. So, he fought it off and was proud of himself for doing it.

"She is yours," he said to himself, "Don't worry. Don't rush. She is yours. She is yours…"

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**A/N: Poor Claude and his crazy urges. I should be updating kind of soon-ish. Please review. I promise it gets better. :**


	3. Solicitude

**A/N: Gah. This whole chapter was supposed to be a tiny part of what will now be in chapter 4. Hehe. Enjoy!**

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The sun had long set before Esmeralda decided to go inside. She saw the priest was sitting at the table, lost in his thoughts. To avoid talking with him she started to fold her new clothes.

Claude occasionally glanced her way, watching her fold the clothes carefully. It was almost cute and sad to see the young girl being overly preoccupied with it. Another petty thing he became jealous of for getting more attention then him.

When she finished, she just sat. She wanted to do anything but talk to him at the moment. She didn't like the closed in space she had to share with the man. No privacy. And there was only one bed. Now, she knew she had to talk with him.

"Sir." She called to him.

"I have a name, you know." He said, with a half smile. He spun an apple he had on the table, letting it fall over. His eyes where kept on it.

The girl didn't care to know his name but asked anyway, "What is your name priest?"

"Claude Frollo." He said, spinning the apple again.

"Well, my name is-"

"Esmeralda."

The girl starred at him, "How did you know?"

Claude snickered, "The poet that took off with your goat told me."

"Oh." After her pause, she continued.

"All right, _Frollo_. Where are you going to sleep tonight?" She questioned.

He shrugged, "I don't know yet."

"I'm sleeping on the bed." She said immediately.

"Alright. So am I." He said in a drone tone, still twirling the apple.

"No!" The gypsy barked, causing Claude to tear his attention away from the fruit.

Esmeralda used a calmer voice, "No."

That sting made Claude laugh aloud.

"Am I that horrible?" He asked.

The girl bit her tongue not to answer.

"Fine! To the cold, wooden floor for me." Frollo said irritably, flicking his wrist towards the ground.

Esmeralda starred at him, "You would take the uncomfortable floor for me?"

"Girl," He said with a sympathetic voice, "I would throw myself into a pit of cobras for you."

They held a quiet gaze, both trying to read each other's motives to the words they've exchanged.

Claude sighed, turning back to his apple, "Just hush and accept my offer before I change my mind."

She took up his offer quick. Now, she was curled up in the thin blanket on the bed.

This gave the man time to think and ponder his questions. What would he do with her? What would he want to do to her? Why was he letting her have so much freedom? Where to go next? How will he win her over? Can he win her heart at all? Is he still such a terrible demon to her? Does she still think of her disgusting captain?

All those bothersome questions he longed to be answered very soon.

It struck him suddenly, what if she is not happy. He assumed she wasn't, especially being cooped up in this tiny house. He would let her come with him tomorrow to town. He smiled at the thought. She may not be as down as she is now, he hoped.

He spent most of the night in his mind, never moving from his spot.

A hand touched his shoulder, which caused him leap from his chair and swing around in the direction of the person. He let out a long sigh. Who else would it be but the gypsy? His shoulders slumped.

"Yes? What is it?" Claude mumbled.

"Have you been up all night?" She asked.

The man laughed, "Indeed. But, no need to worry. Though, I doubt you do…I am used to not sleeping."

The gypsy adjusted her scarf, "You can sleep on the bed now. I've gotten my rest."

Claude snorted, "How kind of you."

His sarcasm was mainly due to his lack of sleep and he managed to drop himself, face first, onto the mattress. The girl made her way to the door.

"Where are you going?" Claude muffled through the mattress.

"Outside." She answered, then slamming the door as she left.

The priest didn't care at this point to chase after her. He could faintly smell her unique scent on the bedding. It was a small delight to him. Once he closed his eyes, he was asleep.

Claude slept until it was very late at night. All the while, Esmeralda thought once about taking the horse and trying to make her escape again, until she remembered how badly it turned out for her last time. So, she spent most of her time pacing around and talking with the horse.

She stepped inside to see him still sleeping. She walked over to him and tapped his back.

"Sir?"

He didn't move.

She shook him a bit, "Sir?"

No movement.

"Frollo." She barked.

Nothing.

Soon she wondered if he was dead. If he was breathing, he was breathing lightly because she didn't see his back rise or fall. She grabbed his hand to check if it was warm. It was.

The gypsy heard a small groan and felt a tight grip on her hand. A gasp escaped her as the priest pushed himself up with his elbow and his eyes closed. They opened half way as he grinned. With a strange strength, Claude managed to pull her onto the bed, causing her to fall on him.

"Hey!" the girl snapped.

That was enough to wake the priest up. He blinked stupidly as he saw the girl on top of him. He felt his face heat up.

"You can't tell me you were asleep that whole time." She hissed.

"I guess I was." He was all he could say.

"What on earth where you dreaming about to give you such strength anyway?" She questioned.

The priest blushed visibly, "Nothing in particular."

The girl pouted and said, "Can you let me go now?"

Claude grinned suddenly and flipped over so he was above her. He pinned her by the shoulders and added, with an effort to be playful, "Now why would I want that, my dear?"

Esmeralda found this as a threat and did the first thing that came to mind. She slapped his face. It was a powerful strike, leaving a red mark on his cheek. He returned to her a frightful glare. The girl shrank.

"You are a very, very lucky girl." Claude said in a cold, grim tone. His once warm hands seemed like ice.

Without any struggle she let Claude cuff her wrists. She was too scared. He leaned in so close to her ear, that she could feel his thin lips brush over it as he spoke.

"If you were any other disgraceful female I would have gotten rid of you long ago. I let you get away with so much; I sometimes wonder why I let a viper have so much freedom!" He hissed threateningly.

It changed quickly as he kissed the top of her ear lobe.

"Then," he continued softly, "I remember that I love you unconditionally. I would even let you get away with murder, oh the fool I am! Girl, I want you to be as free as any bird. I want you to be happy as you were on the streets again; singing, dancing."

He paused to cover part of her jaw line with light kisses.

He went on, "And what I'd give to see you, even just once, smile my way. You would make me the happiest man! To see those beautiful lips…"

Overwhelmed, he went to kiss the lips he craved, but the girl turned her head in refusal.

Smiling sadly, he said with a weak voice, "Cruel vixen."

"I want to sleep." She said flatly, without looking up at him.

Claude, eventually, moved from her the table. The girl wrapped her arms around herself and turned away from the troubled man.

"Before you doze off, would you like to go to town with me tomorrow?" He asked in an effort to make her feel better.

"Why?" She asked.

"I thought you might want to go and it would be nice to have your company…"

Esmeralda was bored already of this place. She shrugged, "Sure, I'll go."

"It makes me happy to here that." Frollo said calmly.

He waited for a reply but received none. Resting his head in his hands, he lost himself in thought once more.

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**A/N: Done. School is time consuming and I don't know how often I'll be able to update. And I really don't want to abandon this. I'll try my hardest to update. Please review.**


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